Question
A group of biology students dissolved the shells of 3 raw chicken eggs by soaking them in vinegar. The eggs were used as models for cells. One egg was then placed in pure water. The second egg was placed in a salt water solution. The third egg was placed in a sugar solution.
Part A
The students observed that the first egg swelled in size, while the second and third eggs shrunk in size to different levels.
What conclusion is best supported by these results?
The cell membrane is selectively permeable and allows water and some solutes to move in and out of the cell.
The cell membrane only allows the passage of water via membrane proteins.
The cell membrane is impermeable.
The salt and sugar water acted as hypotonic solutions.
Part A
The students observed that the first egg swelled in size, while the second and third eggs shrunk in size to different levels.
What conclusion is best supported by these results?
The cell membrane is selectively permeable and allows water and some solutes to move in and out of the cell.
The cell membrane only allows the passage of water via membrane proteins.
The cell membrane is impermeable.
The salt and sugar water acted as hypotonic solutions.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The conclusion that is best supported by the results is:
**The cell membrane is selectively permeable and allows water and some solutes to move in and out of the cell.**
This conclusion is supported because the first egg swelled in size when placed in pure water, indicating that water moved into the egg (hypotonic environment) due to osmosis. The second and third eggs shrank in size when placed in salt and sugar solutions (hypertonic environments), which suggests that water moved out of the eggs. This demonstrates the selective permeability of the cell membrane in response to different solute concentrations.
**The cell membrane is selectively permeable and allows water and some solutes to move in and out of the cell.**
This conclusion is supported because the first egg swelled in size when placed in pure water, indicating that water moved into the egg (hypotonic environment) due to osmosis. The second and third eggs shrank in size when placed in salt and sugar solutions (hypertonic environments), which suggests that water moved out of the eggs. This demonstrates the selective permeability of the cell membrane in response to different solute concentrations.